'The Untouchable' narrates a day in the life of Bakha who is an outcaste. His sufferings and a number of humiliations in the course of his day is narrated in details. Yet the language that the writer adapts is a lucid one. Bakha is of 18 years, proud, strong and able-bodied, a child of modern India, who believes that he is superior as compared to his fellow-outcastes. However, due to his low birth, Bakha does the work of a sweeper. A particular incident occurs in the morning and afterwards shadows the rest of the day. The narration pours vitality, fire and richness in the story and that is why The Untouchable has become one of the remarkable creations of Mulk Raj Anand. The story of `The Untouchable` was inspired by the author`s childhood memories of a low-caste sweeper boy who carried him home after he suffered an injury. However, in return of his good work the boy was beaten by Anand`s mother for touching her son.

'The Untouchable' is one of the finest works of Mulk Raj Anand. It faced a lot of controversies as he conveys precisely the matter of untouchabality. The author displays compassion for the plight of untouchables but he does this without overdose of sentiments.